


Way Down Below

by LuthienLuinwe



Category: DCU
Genre: Alternate Timeline, Dark, Dick Grayson is a Talon, Disturbing Themes, Jason Todd is Joker, Joker Junior - Freeform, M/M, Roy Harper Messed Up, no happy ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-06-10 13:54:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15292953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuthienLuinwe/pseuds/LuthienLuinwe
Summary: He just wanted to save her.Roy went back in time to save Lian. Never in his worst nightmares could he have imagined how the world would turn out after. With Gotham nearly destroyed and his two best friends better off dead, he can't be sure he made the right decision in going back.





	1. My Life, My Love, My Drive

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thrakaboom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thrakaboom/gifts).



> This is an extremely disturbing fic that will deal with dark subject matter including torture and death. If you have any concerns about a potential trigger, please contact me [here](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/luthienluinwe) and I will provide you with appropriate spoilers.
> 
> Thank you to Tashi_Lupin for bouncing ideas around with me. This fic would be impossible without them.

**“My life, my love, my drive they came from pain. You made me a believer, believer.”**

**Roy**

What day was it? Where was he? Something was wrong. Something was horribly, horribly wrong. It looked like Gotham, with her skyscrapers and gargoyles. But the streets were deserted. The pale moonlight reflected off a nearby puddle of water, and he glanced into it. Still the same Roy. But why would he change? He was an intruder here. He didn’t belong. God, what had he done?

He just wanted to save her.

A newspaper lay crumpled on the street next to him. He picked it up and smoothed it out and read the headline. ‘Latest Joker Attack Leaves 20 Dead.’ Great. The madman was still around then…. But the face on the picture was different from the Joker he remembered. And he didn’t dare stop to consider who this imposter may be. 

He couldn’t keep himself from flipping through the pages, and he felt his blood run cold at the next headline he saw. ‘Billionaire Oliver Queen Found Dead in Home.’ Sure they had their ups and downs. But Roy never wanted him dead. 

He froze when he thought he heard someone behind him. God, of all the places he could have been thrown back to, it had to be Gotham, home of the worst of the worst. He didn’t turn around. He didn’t dare. God only knew what was lurking behind him. He felt like prey, like he was being stalked, toyed with.

It was probably nothing, he tried to tell himself. A trick of the light. His nerves acting up in ways he didn’t want them to. Don’t think about it, he tried to tell himself. It was nothing. It was nothing… 

He took in a sharp breath when he felt a cool blade pressed against his throat. “Now I thought you knew the rules of the game.” The voice was familiar, but twisted. Harsh, cool, calculated. Not warm and light. If he glanced down, he could see a deathly pale hand, dark blue veins showing through the skin. What the hell had happened to him? “You stay in Star, I leave you and your little brat alone.”

His little brat?

He took in another shaking breath.

It had worked.

God, it had worked.

But God, what had he done?

He started to answer, but hissed when he felt the blade pressed further into his throat. He could feel warm droplets of blood forming in a messy line on his neck. One bad move, and he’d be drowning in it. “No, no, pretty boy,” the thing hissed into his ear. “I’m the one that gets to do the talking.” Roy didn’t dare nod, not with that stupid dagger that close to his throat. He barely dared to breathe. “You’d look so pretty stuffed and standing in our corner. Little JJ would just love it.”

Who? Roy didn’t dare to ask.He hissed when the thing forced him to turn around. It had Dick’s face, but it definitely wasn’t his Dickiebird, not with those cold, yellow eyes and the dark blue veins visible through his deathly pale face. “Jayjay would love you so very much. And he’ll love me more for bringing you to him.”

Roy glared and watched as the thing that wasn’t Dick run a finger along the blade before sheathing it. “But it’s so much fun chasing after you,” he smirked, a wicked, unsettling thing. “Maybe I’ll even let little JJ go after you.”

“What do you want?” Roy managed to work up the courage to growl, a primal sound coming straight from his chest. Not even five minutes and the  _ thing  _ had already threatened him. Worse, he’d threatened Lian.

But if he’d threatened Lian, then that meant Lian was alive. It meant that his plan had worked. But at what cost? Was it worth it?

He’d watch the world die a thousand times over if it meant keeping her, if it meant getting her back.

It had been his fault… God, everything was always his fault…

“I don’t want anything,” the Dick that wasn’t Dick responded, and Roy watched as it retreated back into the shadows, calmly, like nothing had ever happened.

It was a bad dream. God, it had to have all been a bad dream. He was going to wake up in the morning, all of this a bad memory.

He was going to wake up in the morning back in the world where she had died, back in the world where she had died and it had been his fault. All his fault. He had one job. To protect her. And he’d failed at it, and he had been helpless, forced to sit by and watch as she was taken from him. And he’d created this damned world, and he didn’t care because she was back, and deep down, he knew he would have damned the world thousands of times over if it meant having her back.

And if that made him a monster, then so be it.

He walked down the streets. Dilapidated buildings with boarded up windows and caved in roofs. He checked the street signs and shook his head. This should have been the nice part of Gotham. Or, well, at least the nicest that Gotham could be. And everything was damn near destroyed. 

He thought he caught movement out of the corner of his eye again. Paranoid, he told himself. Surely to God what had happened with that  _ thing  _ was just an isolated incident. He turned to check his back, just to be safe. Even before he’d gone back, Gotham was a dangerous place to be, especially alone and at night.

He turned back and nearly screamed when he saw yet another person standing near him. Had no one in that damned city heard of announcing themselves? The man was dressed in all red, mask over his face, lightning bolt on his chest. Good, at least something stayed the same. God, Roy hoped he was still a good guy… “Barry?”

He could see the frown form on the man’s face. “How the hell do you know Barry?” Roy’s frown deepened. What the hell was he on about? But the man hadn’t tried to attack him yet, that had to be a good sign. The monster that wasn’t Dick hadn’t wasted a breath in getting to him. “Nevermind. There’s a curfew in effect. You should be indoors. Never know what could be lurking out here at night.”

Like hell he didn’t know. He’d just run into one of the many Gotham Horrors not five minutes prior. Still. He knew that voice. It wasn’t Barry. What the hell had happened to Barry? “Wally?”

He saw the frown deepen. “I don’t know who the hell you are,” he said, voice cool and even. “But keep your damn mouth shut, do you hear me?” Roy nodded. It was better not to argue. Even he knew when to keep his damned mouth shut. He watched Wally shift his weight from one foot to another. Funny how nervous gestures could survive changes in the timeline, even when people (and especially people he cared about) couldn’t. “Follow me. And keep up.”

Roy rolled his eyes and followed after Wally, glad that the speedster had at least been kind enough not to go super-speed on him. He stopped and caught his breath once they were at their destination, an abandoned house in what had once been Burnley. He watched Wally fumble for some keys before unlocking the door and stepping inside. Roy headed in, looking around the dusty floors and the cobwebbed baseboards. He heard the door being shut and locked behind them. Not like it mattered. From what he’d gathered, the Dick in this universe didn’t need to think twice about a locked door.

“What kind of an idiot are you to be out at Gotham past dark?” Wally demanded and turned to face him. God, when had he become the serious one? 

“Look, Wally…” Roy started to say. There was no time to explain. But he needed to be careful. Couldn’t risk Wally going back and ‘fixing’ everything. How could it be fixed if she was still dead? How could it be fixed if he couldn’t save her?

“You’d better explain,” Wally growled, a sound Roy never would have associated with his friend before. “Now.”

“Long story,” Roy sighed. “You won’t believe it.” 

“Try me.”

* * *

What day was it? Where was he? He was in front of some monitors. Was he supposed to be paying attention to them? Just a minute ago he’d been talking to some stranger.  _ If you could go back and change anything in the world, what would it be?  _

How had the line in that one movie gone?  _ Offer me anything you want… I want my father back, you son of a bitch.  _ Father. Daughter. It rhymed. Was it some sick, twisted joke? But how would a stranger have known that.

_ I want my daughter back.  _

Wait.

Monitors.

Watch Tower.

He checked his phone, looking for a date. It wasn’t too late… “Arsenal to JLA,” he said through the monitors.  _ Timelines weren’t made to be messed with.  _ What the fuck did any of them know anyway? Superman would have saved Krypton in a heartbeat. How was this any different? It was the right thing to do. He’d be saving thousands, not just her.

But God, he had to save her.

He couldn’t lose her twice.

“Evacuate Star City. Shit’s about to go down.”

* * *

“What kind of an idiot goes and fucks up a timeline?” Wally demanded, and for a moment, Roy had to remember who he was talking to. This wasn’t the Wally he knew. He never would be. This Wally had seen more, been forced to do more. 

“Go ahead,” Roy sighed. “Get the Justice League involved.”

“You don’t get it,” Wally shook his head and pulled the mask off, running a hand through his hair. “Me, Wonderwoman, Aquaman… We’re all that’s left.”

No. No, that couldn’t have been right. Membership had been up in the hundreds… They couldn’t be down to three. He couldn’t believe it. He wouldn’t believe it.

Dick had been turned into a monster. The rest of the Justice League was gone…

It was his fault. He’d said the words that had forever damaged the world as he’d known it.

_ Evacuate Star City. Shit’s about to go down. _

_ You stay in Star City, and I leave you and your little brat alone. _

She was alive. She was alive and he had saved her and she was breathing and  _ real.  _

He’d do it again and again if it meant saving her.

Rest of the world be damned.

 


	2. Darkness Pulls the Strings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a torture scene in this chapter.

**Jason**

**“Be careful, little eyes, what you see. It’s the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings.”**

He could still see it in his mind, just like it had happened only minutes ago. Pretty red staining everything around him. Pretty red staining everything on him. He’d laughed and he’d laughed and he’d laughed and he hadn’t stopped because it had been so damned funny. 

He’d hit him.

He’d hit him and he’d hit him and he’d hit him and no one had been there to pull him back.

Wasn’t it hilarious hearing him scream and scream?

He’d begged at one point.

Jason had never begged, not even once, and he’d only been fifteen.

“Daddy, look what I did,” his sweet boy said, and Jason started laughing all over again. Batsy needed to learn to take better care of his kids. Oh, but he would have had so much fun with this one. Maybe even more than he’d had with the last one. But how could anyone replace his little JJ? This one had been so perfect. 

And there was always a little JJ. Even if the body changed. 

He would do so much better this time. A newer model. A more twisted one. And he’d show the Bat how much better of a parent Jason was than him. 

The replacement was dressed in red and green and yellow and no, no that just wouldn’t do, would it? He’d known about the imposter for years. And his little JJ had done so well bringing the brat in. 

“Aren’t you proud of me, Daddy?” JJ had asked, voice excited and bubbly, and Jason had picked him up and spun him around and snapped his little neck. 

Jason dropped the boy unceremoniously onto the ground and turned to face the poor thing wearing what had once been his. The boy was deathly pale, oh no, that was no good at all. He’d have to start the drugs early on that one. Bats were notoriously difficult to break. “Don’t be scared,” he moved and placed a hand under the teen’s chin, harshly backhanding the boy when he spat at Jason. “Oh that temper’s going to have to go. Don’t you worry. Daddy will take good care of his sweet boy.”

“Fuck you.”

“Such language,” Jason tutted and shook his head. “But, oh well. We’ll get that situated soon enough. Little boys shouldn’t speak in such foul manners.” Why were they always so insistent on fighting him in the beginning? He always took such good care of his children. And he would take much better care of this one than Batsy ever would.

“Another one?” a cold voice asked, and Jason had to remind himself to keep his temper in check. Talon knew better than to sneak up on him. Oh, fighting in front of their new Little JJ would never do. Had to convince the boy that Daddy and Talon were the picture perfect couple. “How many is that now? Six?”

“You won’t turn me into one of them,” the boy spat, and Jason laughed when Talon kicked him square in the ribs, causing the sweetest little sound to come out of his new son’s lips. Wasn’t it so pretty hearing the little bird scream?

“And you will learn to keep your mouth shut,” Talon hissed. He was almost as good at this as Jason was. And it was so, so pretty seeing his future Little JJ lying on his side, hands and ankles bound.

He would stop fighting them before long.

They always did.

“Come now,” Jason knelt down to the boy’s level. “He didn’t mean to hurt you. Here. Let’s get you up.” He reached for the boy’s arm and back-handed him when the boy flinched away. “Now that won’t do. Good boys do as they’re told.”

“Dick?” the boy asked, pleading in his voice as he glanced at Jason’s precious Talon.

Ooh, big mistake on his part.

Jason dropped the boy to the floor and stepped away, laughing like a pure maniac when Talon held a blade to the boy’s throat. It would be such a pity if this one died before the real fun began. But he and Talon had agreed that all Little JJs must be agreed upon. And Jason was never one to break a promise. “Dick is dead,” Talon said, voice deadly calm, cold in a way that chilled Jason to his bone and made him laugh all the harder. “I killed him.”

“Batman’s coming for me.”

So hopeful they all were. Someone was already coming for them. Someone was always going to save them.

No one ever did.

“Batsy gave up on you,” Jason knelt back down and pushed a hand through the boy’s hair. “Just like he gave up on all of us. But don’t worry. We’ll take good care of our precious JJ. We won’t let anything happen to him.”

He smirked and laughed again when the boy’s eyes glanced over to the body on the floor. “Oh don’t worry, my boy. He was a naughty, naughty boy. But you’re a good, good boy, aren’t you?” The boy glared, and Jason laughed again, letting the sensation overwhelm him. Maybe the original Joker knew a thing or two after all. “Of course you’re not. You’ll do anything to keep Daddy and Talon happy.”

Jason watched Talon grin and force the blade into the corner of the boy’s mouth, slashing up toward his ear in one fluid motion, repeating it on the opposite side. They had to mark what was theirs, after all. 

Everyone knew little boys should smile.

And oh, how the boy had screamed and screamed and screamed. Such a pretty sound. Jason could have recorded it and played it again and again and again. A great idea for the next time, he couldn’t help but think. Maybe Talon could play it as a lullaby for all of their Little JJs to come.

And Jason?

Well he just laughed even more.

They were all so stupid and naive. They needed Jason to teach them how the real world worked, to set them straight and show them just how cruel and merciless the world could be. It had never been kind to him. Why should he be kind to them?

This one wouldn’t last long, but Jason didn’t care. It would hit Batsy where it hurt. He hadn’t done a damned thing about losing his first two prettybirds. Would he try to save the third? Maybe he’d finally retire after all, and then Jason and his Talon would be free to do whatever they wanted in what little remained of Gotham.

Hell, maybe they could even expand their little operations, ruin more lives, take down more so-called heroes along the way.

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a syringe. They’d been expecting their newest son for days. A shame the former JJ had taken so long to find his successor. Maybe deep down the boy had remembered what happened when each little JJ brought someone home. 

At least they got the mercy of a quick death in the end.

Jason knelt down beside the boy, smirking and laughing again when he tried to flinch away, only for Talon to grab him by the arms, restraining him. Oh, what a good team they made. “Dick, please,” the boy begged. “Jason, you don’t have to do this…”

A flash of hatred blinded him for damned near a minute. Jason Todd was dead. Whatever the hell he’d become had taken his place. That little brat would have to learn that sooner rather than later if he wanted any chance at living past fifteen. He wrapped his hands around the boy’s neck, grinning when he heard the brat struggle for air. The boy’s nails were digging into Jason’s wrists, trying to pry them off.

He’d stop fighting before long.

Jason shoved the syringe into the brat’s neck, watching in glee as his replacement started convulsing, laughing when convulsions turned to uncontrollable laughter.

“Fuck,” more laughter escaping the little bird’s lips. “You.”

“Oh don’t worry, little JJ,” Jason grinned, showing his teeth that he’d taken such care to sharpen to just the right point. “Daddy and Talon will take such good care of you.”


End file.
